Neighbors gather to celebrate winter solstice in the Montbello Spiral Garden

Winter Solstice marks when the Earth’s Northern Hemisphere is the furthest from the sun, resulting in the shortest day of the year.

“On the solstice, we have the longest night. And in some spiritual systems, night signifies time to connect with spirits,” said Euda K Best, one of the organizers and gardeners.

“So for me, the solstice and the four days leading up to the solstice are really a time to minimize T.V and computers and really just go within, slow down and try to reconnect with the earth,” Best said.

Best is the program director for sponsoring organization Consumption Literacy Project, a nonprofit that educates and activates youth, educators and communities around sustainability. The Montbello Spiral Garden is one of four community gardens and 22 backyard gardens that the organization supports.

Four Montbello neighbors created the spiral garden in 2020 as a way to bring fresh produce to the neighborhood and give area kids a healthy hobby. Over the last three years, the garden has produced more than 30 variations of fruit, vegetables and herbs such as hot peppers, strawberries, horseradish and tomatoes.

Students and youth participants are paid for their work in the garden, and can participate in a college-credit course based in the space.

“It’s better to have the kids put their hands in the soil and not on other things,” said Austine Luce, one of the garden founders.

Rehanna Erskine, a senior at DSST Montview, was one of the first students who helped the garden come to fruition three years ago. She joined the solstice celebration with her sister and other youth leaders.

The skills she gained gardening proved to be beneficial far beyond the limits of the lot, she said.

“I was a very shy person, so it was kind of hard to communicate,” said Erskine, who plans on putting her work at the garden and the club participation it has led to on college and job resumes.

“I've definitely boosted that,” she said. “Working here has also taught me a lot more about the environment, allowing me to raise more environmental awareness.”

Best begins the celebration with a small speech and community meditation.
Photo: Elle Naef, Rocky Mountain PBS

The Montbello Spiral Garden practices sustainability by using traditional water conservation techniques, such as using ollas, which steadily disperse water, that are part of the Native American traditions of Colorado and the Southwest United States, Luce said. 

The garden’s water usage decreased 95% thanks to the traditional methods, Luce said. This year the garden produced a harvest that was shared with Montbello neighbors, the neighborhood has been a food desert since 2014, when its last remaining grocery store closed.

Gardener Estrella spreads coffee ground compost. “She’s the hardest worker I know,” said garden leader Justin Twist.
Photo: Elle Naef, Rocky Mountain PBS

Once community members arrived and the tables were set up for the Winter Solstice party, music from local DJ Felix Fast4ward paused for a moment of reflection and meditation led by Best.

“In my opinion, when people who don't really know each other very well come together, it's really a good idea to do a grounding exercise and to reconnect to the earth, which helps us to connect to each other,” she said. 

Afterwards, neighbors of all ages gathered to collaborate on art pieces for the garden. They painted entrance posts and sitting stumps with welcoming words and images.

“We really feel like it’s important to not have gates, locks and limits on gardens,” said Luce.